Thomas b



THOMAS BLFOGARTYH Improvement in Gas-Machines.

Patented June 6,1871

lave/Mo,

2 Sh-eet -Sheet 2.

"TAHOMAYS BITOGARTY.

Improvement in Gas-Machines.

.Patentd June 6,1871.

Thomas B. roeanrv, or BROOKLYN, new YORK.

lidPR OVEidENT EN GAS-MACHENES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,593, dated June 6, 1871.

I, THOMAS B.FOGARTY, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain Improvement in Gas-Machines, of which the following is a specification Nature and Objects of the Invention.

My invention relates principally to automatic gas-machines,in which the manufacture and supply of gas are automatically regulated by the rising and falling of a gas-holder sealed in a vessel of water or other suitable liquid, or its equivalent, a flexible diaphragm; but it refers more particularly to air-gas machines of the above class, in which a proper and equable admixture of air with-the vapor or practice has been, and is, to allow the volume of mixed air and gas to enter, and, by its pressure, raise or inflate a suitable holder, and to attach to said holder suitable valvegear, so that when it would be inflated to a certain point it would close a valve and out off the supply of gas until, through exhaustion of its contents, it would fall again to a point where it would react on the valve-gear in such a manner as to open the valve and turn on a fresh supply of vapor or gas. Now, while the valve is open and there is a flow of vapor through the jet, a corresponding and inward current of air will be created and induced through any suitable aperture; and if the pressure under which the vapor issues from the jet is sufficient, the mixed vapor and air will enter into the holder with force sufficient to overcome its weight or pressure and to inflate and raise it. As soon, however, as the holder has been inflated and raised so as to close the valve, there will be an instant cessation of the inward current and corresponding inward pressure, and the outward pressure of the holder will expel its contents through the opening through which the air had entered, and into the room or gas-house,

if this opening is not provided with a check or back-pressure valve which will open to adniit the inward current of air and will instantly close as soon as the current ceases.

The practice has hitherto been to raise this valve by the force of the inward current in the same manner as the foot-valve of a common pump is raised by the pressure of the water, and of course it instantly falls as soon as the actuating current ceases. This prac tice is liable to many objections, the principal ofwhich are as follows: It necessitates vaporizing the hydrocarbon liquid under a high pressure, for the pressure required to lift the valve is usually far more than that required to overcome the pressure of the holder and raise or inflate it. vaporizing at a high pressure requires a high heat, and, if pneumatic pressure is used, a farstronger and more expensive pressure-tank, and considerably enhances the diificulty of making tight joints. Another and more serious objection is that if, from any cause, the valve should get fouled or clogged so as to stick up or open, and remain open when the inward current ceased, the pressure of the holder would expel its contents through the opening and into the room containing the machine, and would continue to rise and fall and fill the room with gas so long as the valve remained stuck up. It need scarcely be said that this is attended with extreme dangerindeed, it has already caused several fires: Another trouble is that the valve may stick down or closed, so that if there is a light pressure in the retort, and, in some instances, whatever pressure there may be, the escapin g vapor will not have power to create an inward current of air of sufficient force to lift it. The consequence of this would be that no air could enter to mix the vapor, and instead of being filled with vapor and air mixed in the proper proportions the holder would contain nothing but pure vapor, the result of which would be an enormous amount of condensation in the pipes and smoky lights, which has very frequently occurred to gasmachines of this class. In a word, a valve operated by the pressure of the inward current of air has been found to be extremely unsafe, uncertain and unreliable.

My improvement is intended to remedy these defects, and consists in operating the air-valve mechanically, so that the valve which opens to admit the vapor cannot open without opening the air-valve also, and cannot close without closing it, consequently the air-valve can never stick up or stick down; and at the Same time, the air-valve being lifted mechanically by the same mechanism which opens the vapor -valve, the pressure required for working the machine will be reduced at least one half, as will be seen on reference to Fig. 3.

WVhen the valve A is closed the back pressure from the holder'-usually that of a column of one and a half inch of water-is on its upper surface, and with that force holds it to its seat, to which its own weight or pressure holds it with a force of at least as much more, so that the inward current of air will have to overcome a pressure of at least three inches of water before it can lift the valve. I propose to lift it mechanically, and by the same movement which opens the vapor-valve, so that instead of having to use a jet of vapor of snfficient pressure to create an inward current of air powerful enough to overcome a pressure of over three inches of water, it will only be necessary to use a pressure sufficient to overcome that of the holder-one and a half inch, or less, if desired. The drawing I will explain itself.

Figure 1 shows a portion of a gas-machine, such as has been fully described by me in specifications Nos. 1 and 2, filed on or about April 6, 1871, and is intended merely to show the general connection of the parts. Fig. 3

shows, upon a large scale, the air-valve and the mechanism by which that and the vaporvalve are actuated. The dotted lines in both figures'indicate corresponding sections. Fig. 2 merely shows the end of theactuatinglever passing through the air-valve stem.

In all the figures the same letters refer to the same parts.

B is a portion of the gasholder tank, and O of the holder itself; 1) is the standard by which thecenter or guide post is supported; E, arod slidingupon the standard D, and carrying the pins a a and b b, by which the levers that work the vapor-valve are actuated. L is the stem of the vapor or retort valve; M, the stove, containing a suitable retort and furnished with burn er, inlet and outlet pipes, tank of compressed air,'&c., as described in my specifications Nos. 1 and 2, before referred to. The stove, with its appurtenances and the holder, have been described in the above specifications; and as myinvention does not relate to them, and there is nothing new claimed with regardto them except in combination with these parts which are claimed as new, it

is unnecessary to enter into a detailed description of them here further than to introduce them as a part of my apparatus, so well known and so often described as not to need a fresh description.

It will be seen that, as the holder 0 rises, the arm N engages in the upper pin a, and by that means carries up with it the sliding rod D and causes I), one of the pins which it carries, to engage in the lever H, which, as soon as it is carried up sufficiently over the center line, is thrown upward by the contractile force of the springs, (but one spring is shown,) which at the same time act upon the lever K and throw it upward so as to close the vapor-valve.

I do not claim that there is anything new in this arrangement of springs and levers, for they are identically the same, as have been already described by H. S. Maxim and claimed by him in the specification of his patent N 0. 81,922. I therefore disclaim the arrangement of springs and levers, except in so far as it may be used in combination with myimprovement, which consists in furnishing the lever K, by which the vapor-valve is actuated, with an additional arm, 0, passing through a slot in or otherwise engaging with the stem of the air-valve A, as shown in Fig. 2, and by means of which the air-valve is closed by the lever K or its equivalent by the same movement which opens the vapor-valve, and at the same instant, and vice versa, is also closed at the same time and by the same movement which closes the vapor-valve. I do not, however, confine my claim to this particular method of actuating the valve A, for it is evident that the result would be the same if it was acted on by an arm attached to the lever H.

Claims.

I claim- 1. An air-injector or back-pressure valve for poses set forth.

THOS. B. FOGARTY.

Witnesses:

J os. T. K. PLANT, W. A. Boss. 

